Boy, do I hope THIS links OK.

  Huffposts huffs over 21 Vintage Gun Ads that ought to make us "wince."  What a load of turkeys they must be at the huffpo.

  This is why folks don't trust the media.  These ads all look fine.  They shouldn't make anyone "wince."  They ought to be re-issued but with glocks and ARs.

Deer Jousting, Buck packing...

Both cams had two bucks together.  The little bucks are hanging out but the bigger bucks ought to be split up for the rut.  Since they weren't, it's probably over.  Sat in the tree this afternoon in a stiff North wind.  Rare for us to get this direction but it's fine to hunt in.  Nothing doing except the Pileated woodpeckers and some little stuff rustling in the leaves.  Dead cam- probably batteries.

The medium buck just behind the house.  Next year, but really two more years.  He will be as wary as bigfoot by then.  He's having a nice healthy young adulthood.

Same guy at the other cam.

Little bucks do a little clacking.

I don't know if they have scratched each other up or is a bigger buck has raked them.

The Three Graces AM.

And PM.  They like corn.  I sat hoping to see them this afternoon.

Dominant buck of the area and a follower.  Probably much bigger ones around but they are too canny for cameras.

One frame earlier look.

Bigfoot!

Daily Deercam: Dead December Batteries.

House cam didn't get a thing though they had eaten a gallon of corn.  The other cam was active.  Brought my decoy in.  He's done for the year.  I'm not quite, but close.  Couple little bucks not worth showing were on cam.  Usual stuff.  Always jump a Great Horned Owl and hear Pileated Woodpeckers near this cam.

This is probably the area dominant buck.

Always one of these around.  Might be after mice near the corn.

The Three Graces still hanging around.

Bigfoot!

Raccoon being raccoonish.

Lake Pig

We get wandering boars about once a year.  Hard to tell if he is going to stay or not.  If he stays, I'll shoot his porky self.  Maybe.  I've single-handedly kept the pigs out of the bottom for 30 years.  Maybe I ought to quit and let them flip all the pastures and lawns.

Lotta aiming black on a pig.

The Three Graces.

One Grace.

No matter how big they are, they aren't bulletproof.

Darkroom Gun.

I used to keep a Browning High Power with stainless slide stuck in the base of the Omega enlarger.  It blended right in and nobody ever noticed it.  Several years ago I moved up to a Garand because: M1 Garand.  It's a little more noticeable.

Loaded, but not locked.  Guess I ought to hang a note on it.

The Three Graces

Having fun watching this bunch of does and yearlings for several months now.  The group was as big as five.  I THINK this is mom and two kids, but could be two does and a yearling.

The Three Graces.

The Graces behind the house.  They like my corn wherever they find it.

Reasonable buck but not a shooter for me.  I'm not shooting until, (and unless), I see twice this much antler.

Little buck fighting his way through the fall.

Buck sneaking by.

Creek up from the little bit of rain.  Slipped going over and got a scoop of mud in the back scope objective.  That's hunting.  Like wearing roller skates in there.  Must have been great pot-mud for the Caddos to make pottery from.  Sat in the tree for an hour after re-corning, re-batterizing and swapping cards.  No birds around in the rain.  Last time I had a Pileated Woodpecker on each side, pretty close.

Deer and Raccoons....and corn.

Went to re-corn the cams, battery-up and swap cards.  Sat in the tree between rain until it got dark.  Right at dusk one healthy-looking raccoon came through the brush and down a little rivlet.  I thought he would make a beeline for the corn, but maybe coons don't beeline.

  Deer and raccoons barely tolerate each other at corn piles.  The coons must snarl a bit and the deer try to back them offf.

Surrounded.  When I see five coons on a corn pile, it's time to break out the hav-a-hart trap and start shooting them in the head.

When you get the head tilt....time to leave.

Backing them up.

Even the little ones get into it. 

The head-tilt.  Next, you get to fly!

Getting serious.  The does give them a foot-chop.

On the other hand, very few folks have problems with the rabbits.

Very few.

This is officially too many coons.

Show open.

Nicely hung show.  25 prints were well-presented.  Sold five.  Up through March.  Celebrated today by taking down my Omega D3 5X7 enlarger and Dr. Sneed and I installed the column and head of the Zone VI 5X7 I bought out of Washington State.  The electrics are still being shipped but it looks like it's going to work fine.  Lots of coverage for the negative, really a 6X9.  Enjoyed the old D3.  Maybe I can find it a good home.

Sold a copy of this to Robin and Roger Lankford.  Pretty nice print.

Dr. Sneed and Scott Campbell talking in front of The Dot.

Michael Morse along the gallery wall.  

Dr Sneed and some fabulous redhead at dinner.

Daily Deercam, December, 2012

Snacking down on my corn.

Little buck trying to get into his first rut.

Two does and a yearling fawn.

Deer butt.

Three does, the same as above.

Three coons.

Buck ghosting by.

Broken horns.

Someone kicked his butt and broke his horns off.  He's got a big scrape down his backbone.

Show Opening Friday in Longview

TCC Photo Gallery, 207 North Center Street.  5-8PM in conjunction with an Artwalk in Downtown Longview.  Prints all delivered.  Can't wait to see it up!

The official LINK.

Cousin Wallace at the Abilene Gunshow.

Cousin Wallace, who is convolescing from a gunshow wound he received from the police...(he was running a training class and got hit by a splatter off a steel target) went to the Abilene Gun Show and makes this report:

Wasted the gas and $5 admission this afternoon to attend the gunshow @ fairgrounds 

Same old folks with mostly the same old guns....just higher prices. Decent crowd but not crowded. 

Never in my born days have I seen so many rifles chambered to 7mm Rem Mag for sale...is the 7mm Mag going out of fashion?

 

Quite a few Salvage 99's too...have always thought this rifle should be voted "most ugliest"....

 

Lotsa pistolas of various makes & types. High prices,  of course....

 

Folks there from Fredricksburg advertizing "Build your own AR15 for $795" You could choose the upper & lower you wanted...Im sure the price would get higher for more bells & whistles...  

Not much ammo for sale...

Too many knives for sale....well, guess that depends on one's interest. Knives are better than jewelry & beenie babies...

Saw two original Colt Bisleys and a couple of old Colt DA revolvers (Lightening or Thunderer models)

Beautifull condition FN49 in calibre 8mm for $800.

 

Mosin-Nagant rifles way overpriced....looking for a sucker to come along.

 

Carbines $800 & up

 

Garands, just a few $1000 up to $1200

 

One Rem 1903A3 w/straight stock that looked to be in good cond for $600 

 

One K-31 priced @ $325

 

3 or 4 nice Brit Enfields $275 -$375 range...

 

Quite a few Pre-64 Model 70's in various calibres, some nice & some pretty ragged, all fairly pricey

 

Saw a couple of women gun shoppin' on their own....new trend?

 

Lots of interest in the AR15...glad I've already got what I need....

 

Primers still way over priced...think the dealers bought when high & arent willing to sell for less...cheapest was $35 brick & the boxes were ragged looking...some were $47 brick! (Remington brand)

 

Glad I'm not desperate for supplies or guns...might oughta hang on to what ya got!     

Spicy or normal batter?

You can't make this stuff up.